High five at G20: Putin and outcast Saudi crown prince yuk it up at summit

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shared a hearty handshake and an animated laugh before sitting together at the at the G20 Economic Summit in Buenos Aires. (BBC)

Murder? What murder?

Pariah Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman got a warm welcome Friday from his brother in blood Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as world leaders shunned the Saudi ruler over the assassination of a Washington Post journalist.

Advertisement

At a G-20 summit meeting in Buenos Aires, with the whole world watching, Putin and bin Salman went into full bro mode, with a greeting usually reserved for touchdown celebrations.

In a video that went viral and sent tongues wagging across the globe, Putin and bin Salman shared a hearty handshake and an animated laugh before sitting together like two buds at a ballgame.

Among the world leaders in the background as Putin and the prince bonded was President Trump, though it was not clear if he got a good look at the repression connection.

Earlier, the Saudi ruler was on the sidelines during the official portrait of world leaders and other dignitaries, standing at the far edge of the “family photo” group shot, and largely ignored.

His presence at the international summit has been contentious in the wake of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

Though Trump was not as friendly toward bin Salman, the President has given him the benefit of the doubt over the Khashoggi murder, arguing the U.S. "may never know all of the facts" surrounding journalist’s death.

Trump has taken that position even though the CIA has concluded that the crown prince himself ordered the assassination. But Trump won’t be meeting with the crown prince during the summit. Why not?

His staff never made the arrangements.

“It only wasn't set up,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “I mean, I would — I would have met with him, but we didn't set that one up.”

Trump, meanwhile, did cancel his scheduled meeting with Putin after Russia’s recent seizure of Ukrainian ships and sailors. But the Kremlin said the two leaders will have an impromptu session during the summit, according to Reuters.

The White House, meanwhile, shot down speculation that Trump canceled a meeting with Putin to avoid criticism surrounding a guilty plea by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to an additional charge. Cohen confessed that he had lied to Congress about about Trump’s business dealings in Russia. Cohen said his false statements were in connection to “The Moscow Project, ” an attempt by the Trump Organization to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. A Russian-born businessman said a penthouse for Putin was under consideration at the proposed project..

The White House has denied any wrongdoing.

“The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, which is hopefully now nearing an end, is doing very well,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Unfortunately, it probably does undermine our relationship with Russia. However, the reason for our canceled meeting is Ukraine. Hopefully, that will be resolved soon so that productive conversations can begin.”

Trump also kept his distance from the Saudi prince.

Advertisement

“We had no discussion,” Trump said. “We might, but we had none.”

The microphones did not pick up the lively chatter between Putin and bin Salman. But cynics surmised that the two despots could have been yukking it up about their shared disdain for critics.

The list of journalists killed in Russia is as long as the Soviet border, and both countries have faced serious allegations of human-rights abuses and murder.

During Putin’s tenure, Russia has occupied and annexed Crimea, a peninsula that is part of Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of more than 10,000 civilians, according to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Saudi Arabia reportedly tortured women’s-rights activists as part of an effort to suppress criticism of the crown prince. And that was before Khashoggi was killed.

Khashoggi was murdered by a hit squad in Istanbul on Oct, 2. Saudi authorities have denied bin Salman ordered the hit, but the CIA has said that the order came from the prince.

Russia and Saudi Arabia have formed close ties in recent years, particularly because both countries are big players in oil production.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that a visit by Putin to Saudi Arabia is being prepared, although the timing of visit has not yet been finalized.